Control Arms Meeting

With the coordination of Ban Landmines Campaign Nepal (NCBL), members of Young Women for Change affiliated with Women Development Society (WODES), and National Campaign for Peace Building affiliated with Ban Landmines Campaign Nepal (NCBL) jointly organized a meeting on June 13th, 2012.

The meeting marks the upcoming deadline established by the UN General Assembly for the final negotiation conference of the Arms Trade Treaty scheduled in July 2012.

In the meeting young women and men learned about the Arms Trade Treaty and its relevance to the state of armed violence in Nepal. A discussion was held regarding the issues surrounding irresponsible global arms trading and its subsequent human rights abuses.

Meeting attendees also discussed ways in how NCBL can contribute to the Control Arms campaign, and determined a need for more public engagement, awareness-raising, and advocacy with the government and parliamentarians.

Each youth member demonstrated their commitment to put an end to human rights abuses and violence caused by irresponsible global arms trading by lighting a lamp and making a personal pledge in front all the meeting attendees. One by one the lamp was passed down while declarations of peace and security were made.

NCBL is dedicated to raising awareness to the issues of global arms trading and is determined to use its networks and resources to ensure the Arms Trade Treaty becomes a binding international law.

You can find a leaf-let about “Arms Trade Treaty” put together by Nelupa Wijesundera – Mines Action Canada (MAC) here: What is the Arms Trade Treaty.